It takes a village to choose a spouse

We're all familiar with the adage, "It takes a village to raise a child." The following story from Phillip Jimenez might be a lesson for us who think of ourselves as individuals first.

Jimenez described what happened next. "I flew my mom, my sister, and my niece to Mexico to visit. Part of the story is that since high school I was convinced that I was never going to marry someone. That started to crack when I saw my family and her family talking to each other. Beatrice and I were no longer part of the conversation. My mom would tell her mom everything about me and vice versa. Marriage wasn't a choice you slid into. This was not a do over thing. When I had seen this play out I began to realize that it was no longer a decision between Beatrice and me alone. There was a community of individuals who had a stake in our success. That's when I became less scared of the concept of marriage."

Rev. Bruce Modahl, the senior pastor at Grace who officiated at the wedding, said, "Phil,Beatrice and I included some Mexican traditions in the wedding. One of Phil's relatives translated for those relatives who came from Mexico and were not fluent in English. One tradition in Mexico is when the groomsmen hoist the groom in the air. As you know Phil is a big guy. I said that was one tradition we were not going to attempt. The wedding reception was one of the most joyous I have ever attended. Everyone got on the dance floor, young and old."